Event brings dads, daughters together for annual fundraiser

MANISTIQUE – Tickets are now available for the ninth annual Father-Daughter Dinner Dance. The event, hosted by the Manistique Area Kiwanis Club, will be held on Feb. 8 at the First Baptist Church.

The dance fulfills two functions – to provide an opportunity for dads and daughters to spend a special evening together, and to raise money for the annual summer visit by the Missoula Children’s Theatre, also hosted by the Kiwanis. For the past seven years, the touring theatre organization has come to Manistique to stage a week-long residency program for children in grades 1-12. This culminates into a show featuring the local students.

Past performances have included: Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk and last year’s production, The Tortoise Versus The Hare.

A two person MCT team will arrive this year on July 28 and hold auditions to fill approximately 60 parts for a musical version of “Beauty Lou and the Country Beast”. The children will rehearse for a full week before staging two performances of the show on Aug. 2.

The Kiwanis Club funds the program through several sources, including grants and money raised by the father-daughter dinner dance.

Tickets for the upcoming semiformal evening are $40 for each dad and daughter couple and $10 for each additional daughter. The number of tickets is limited to the first 45 couples and additional daughters; and are available in advance only. Tickets are now available at the Manistique Radio Center in downtown Manistique or by contacting Christi Ryan at 286- 3521 or Bob or Judy Sands at 341- 6507.

There is no age limit for the event and fathers are encouraged to bring their daughters, whether they are young, teen-aged or adult. In the past attendees have ranged from preschool-aged daughters to a 100-year-old dad.

The evening will get underway with a social hour beginning at 5 p.m. when Portraits Plus will be available to take photographs of the fathers and daughters for an additional fee. There will also be non-alcoholic beverages available, as well as games and activities.